Feb 16, 2021
Florida tourism numbers lowest since 2010
COVID-19 ended a decade of record-setting tourism numbers in Florida, with the industry seeing a 34 percent drop in visitors in 2020 compared to the prior year.
Feb 16, 2021
Business liability protections delayed in Senate
A scheduled committee vote on a high-profile bill that would protect businesses from coronavirus-related lawsuits was delayed Monday after the measure’s primary sponsor, Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, was delayed in another meeting.
Feb 15, 2021
State grants extra time for standardized tests
Amid a debate about whether students should be required to take standardized tests in person as COVID-19 continues to spread, the state Department of Education is giving an additional two weeks for the Florida Standards Assessments and a statewide science test to be administered.
Feb 15, 2021
No-fault repeal backed in Senate
Florida senators continued moving forward Monday with a proposal to do away with the state’s longstanding no-fault auto insurance system, with trial attorneys and insurers closely watching the debate.
Feb 15, 2021
Bill seeks to remove Roberts name from law school
Florida lawmakers will again consider a proposal aimed at removing the name of former state Supreme Court Chief Justice B.K. Roberts from the building that houses the Florida State University College of Law.
Feb 15, 2021
Judge to weigh lawsuit on unemployment problems
Nearly a year after the COVID-19 pandemic began tossing people out of work, a circuit judge is again poised to consider a potential class-action lawsuit stemming from major problems in Florida’s unemployment compensation system.
Feb 14, 2021
CDC school guidance may have little effect in Florida
New guidelines from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about reopening schools during the coronavirus pandemic might not change anything in Florida, as state Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran is urging districts to “stay the course.”
Feb 14, 2021
Data needed for redistricting delayed
Blaming coronavirus-related delays, the U.S. Census Bureau announced Friday that data Florida lawmakers will use to redraw legislative and congressional boundaries won’t be delivered until September.
Feb 12, 2021
Unemployment claims down but future’s uncertain
Florida posted its lowest weekly total of first-time unemployment claims since the start of the pandemic, despite mounting issues confronting the travel industry.
Feb 12, 2021
House seeks to tie school money to enrollment
House Republican leaders in the upcoming budget will seek to base public school funding on “actual enrollment,” after the state made a change this year that helped bolster districts financially during the COVID-19 pandemic.